I Lost a Bet
by h2onat
Summary: After the battle with the Kishin, Soul and Maka return to school only to discovery not everything is back to normal. How will Soul get Maka back to her usual self, and what happens then? Will Maka's fears cause something big, or can Soul save his partner from herself?
1. Chapter 1

Just finished watching this anime and I can't take it… must write

Maka stood staring at the façade of DWMA, thinking about the last few weeks. Construction had finished and the building stood as it once had, overlooking Death City. The only trace of the school's misadventure was the light line carved in the ground in an uneven circle that showed where the school had uprooted and carried itself into battle.

"Feels weird being back," Soul said as he caught up to her after waking up late. Maka nodded, but didn't glance in her comrade's direction, for fear that when she looked back the school would be gone again. A silly fear, but a valid one. Or maybe she was just tired of looking at him after spending two weeks together nonstop. At some point the short vacation from class had stopped feeling like a necessity in order to heal and more like being under house arrest. Breaking away from whatever concerns turned in her mind, Maka realized that they were the only ones left in the courtyard.

"Come on," she sighed, still anxious about what greeting they would receive inside. She stumbled inside, taking care not to step on the crack.

In the classroom, the absences that she had missed were obvious. At least a third of the room was missing, some dead, and others still recovering. Even with Death calling an emergency break in the middle of the semester for funerals and bed rest, most of the kids who had shown up seemed to be in a stupor. Some might have been mourning, but several seemed to be under the spell of pain medications. Maka and Soul sat down quietly in the middle row, Soul leaning back in his chair and Maka leaning forward intently.

Ms. Marie stood up and slammed her hands down on her desk, stirring several students and causing a few to fall out of their chairs. "I ask that _anyone_ unable to fully concentrate during class due to pain or medication leave now, please." The last word seemed an afterthought and although she directed stern looks towards a few individuals, nobody left. Soul, who fell under both the pain and the medications categories, mumbled something along the lines of "Is that a threat? Not cool."

Ms. Marie sighed and began a lesson that few, if any, would recall later. A few minutes into her lecture on the history of DWMA, the intercom screeched to life.

"Good morning students," Death cheered, "we will be meeting for an assembly in the courtyard shortly." Ms. Marie sighed again, and Maka felt a pang of pity for her. She was supposed to head back to Oceania after the Kishin was dealt with, but with Mr. Stein acting as doctor for the entire town her hopes for marriage were put off again.

Students clustered in the courtyard, gossiping half-heartedly about the assembly. Death finally floated into view, followed by Death Scythe, who waved eagerly at Maka.

"Hello, students!" Death began, "First I'd like to give a moment's silence for our absent faculty and peers." It seemed as though everyone was already holding their breath… "I would like to thank each and every one of you for persevering through the erm…" he raised his wide white-gloved finger as if the purpose of this speech had just occurred to him. "Yes, and I hope that despite our losses we will all be able to focus on our studies and become better weapons and meisters!" He paused and waited for clapping, then realized what he had forgotten. "Oh yes, and the school's reopening will be celebrated with a small get together tomorrow night!" There was still no applause, but Death didn't seem disappointed. A few people did seem to at least attempt to smile.

"Soul…" Maka murmured, her dazed eyes gaining some life.

"Yeah." Not a question, but a statement. Soul already knew what she was thinking. His pointed teeth twisted into a wide, half smile. There was one way to get the entire school back to its lively spirit: a party. The last one had been for the anniversary of the school, and had coincided with the revival of the Kishin.

"SOUL!" Cheered someone unseen. "HA HA HA!" Maka and Soul glanced up and saw Blackstar, standing triumphantly on the tip of a spike of the school and raising a fist into the air as though he had just finished a rock concert. He leaped to the ground, his blue hair billowing back with the speed of his descent, and landed a few feet from the duo. Soul and Blackstar grasped each other's hands in their usual way.

"Hey, how's it been?" Soul stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket and listened to Blackstar's excited banter. Tsubaki stood smiling behind him, quiet and attentive, her long hair pulled back. Maka gave a small smile, but the strain was evident and Tsubaki's face crinkled in concern. Soul, either noticing Tsubaki's expression or out of habit, glanced back at Maka.

"And then I jumped down from the building and they all looked up and started running away! I started chasing them but Tsubaki was saying how I shouldn't have shouted when I was attacking and then they escaped… running away out of fear of the GREAT AND POWERFUL BLACKSTAR, THEIR GO-

"Hey Blackstar, we should get Death the kid and those guys and shoot some hoops tonight."

"Huh? Oh, Yeah!" Blackstar shouted back at Soul, not noticing his divided attention. "but don't be surprised when I beat you, cause it's gonna happen when you play against the guy who's gonna surpass God!"

The rest of the day passed fairly monotonously. Soul, when he wasn't nodding off, watched Maka tap her eraser against the desk, her face growing more and more somber. He had fallen into this habit lately simply out of concern, though he wouldn't admit it. Maka had been strangely depressed lately, even though they had just had the greatest victory of their lives. She hadn't gotten any postcards from her mother recently, and Crona was still out recovering, but neither of these constituted such a dreary condition. He had caught her more than a few times staring at her hands in concentration, or at the ceiling with pink cheeks. Today was no better. After a few minutes he had to take the pencil away because the tapping gave him a headache. Meanwhile Ms. Marie struggled.

Actually holding a class had seemed impossible that morning with so many absences, but all hope was lost when they returned from lunch to find another half of the class gone. The remaining students were sent home early, all ten or twelve of them.

The whole group showed up at the courts half an hour later. Maka immediately sat down on the bench and cracked open a book. Soul had basically dragged her there, despite her desire for some alone time. Liz had managed to avoid the situation once again though, and in the end Maka would have no choice. Soul pulled her off the bench, letting her book fall in the dirt. _Does Liz do this intentionally to screw me over?_ She thought with a groan.

"WOOHOO!" shouted Blackstar, obviously pumped up. The teams from last time remained the same: Maka, Blackstar, and Patty vs. Soul, Tsubaki, and Kid.

"Hey, same bet as last time?" Soul asked. To Maka's protestations he rolled his eyes, spinning the ball on his index finger. "Okay, so what then?"

Tsubaki chimed in in Maka's silence. "What about this: If we lose then Soul will play the piano at the party tomorrow night, and if you lose-"

"Maka gets severely punished if they lose." Soul stared Maka directly in the eye, watching her fume.

By the end of the game Soul's team was just barely in the lead, and they had time for one more play before the sun unwillingly went down. Maka had learned at least a few of the rules, so she took the ball and passed it to Soul. He smirked and passed it back with more force than necessary. Maka winced but kept her grip. She tossed it up towards Blackstar, who jumped to catch it, put the throw was short. It started to drop and Tsubaki smacked it down and dribbled it towards the hoop. Maka scampered forward and stood in front of Kid, with her hands up. Tsubaki had passed to Soul, who went for the shot. In the next second Patty was there, slapping the ball away. Maka grabbed it and dribbled for a few seconds before trying to run at the same time. Blackstar was at the other end of the court, his arms in the air for the pass. She could feel the bounce of the ball slowly getting out of sync with her jog. She came to a stop and clutched the ball to her chest when Soul wheeled around to stop in front of her. Maka felt her heart beating rapidly against her ribs, her face flushed with effort. She moved to toss the ball over Soul's left shoulder, but just as his hands followed she twisted around and threw it back to Patty. Patty rushed forward and shot… the ball sailed too high for anyone to stop its trajectory… it hit the backboard and a second later a moan could be heard… Maka kneeled over and panted in exhaustion. The ball had bounced off the top of the backboard and gone back into the grass. Soul still stood in front of her snickering. She glanced up at his jagged grin and devilish red eyes, catching her own exhausted reflection in his ruby gaze.

"Well that's it then," mumbled Tsubaki. "So what is this big punishment anyway?" Maka silently thanked her for asking. If she had asked, she feared it would have come out scared or at least breathless.

"Not sure yet… but I'll let you know." Maka's heart dropped at Soul's sly response. It could be as simple as Maka making dinner for the next few weeks, or it could be as humiliating as… well knowing Soul, he could think of something horrible. Like cleaning his room. Maka straightened, her anxiety slowing her heart to a normal rate. She glared at him, her hands tightening into fists. Unsure how to respond to his apparent tranquility, she turned on her heel and stomped off in embarrassment.

~later~

_So perhaps trying to avoid someone isn't really an option when you live together_ Maka thought, lying on her bed with a pillow over her head. She had been holed up in her room since they got home, and Soul hadn't tried to cash in yet on his victory. It was probably just his way of milking it for what all it's worth, giving her the added concern of when along with what. In retrospect of this, she would wonder why she didn't just flat out refuse to do anything, or better yet, rebel against the bets before the game began. But at the time and place no one really consciously considers going against the group, especially when one of the group members is Blackstar.

Maka sat so still and silent that she heard the soft footfalls of a cat's padded feet against the carpeting, which then morphed into the monotonous and dull tap of high heels just outside her door. Blair let the door creak open and peered in, a Cheshire cat grin spread across her cheeks. "Nya-hi Maka!" Her golden eyes opened and blinked as she took in Maka's disheveled fetal position. Blair sauntered in and sat on the bed, letting her knees sink into the mattress. "Why so down? " Blair's smile hardly faltered as she spoke.

"Just mad…" Maka muttered, "don't wanna talk about it." She sniveled, her eyes red from lack of sleep. The truth was, losing the game hadn't bothered her. Rather, it reminded her of something she had been dwelling on for several nights. When you got down to the gist of it, her concern was somewhat childish. Where was her place? Not in the world or course, because few have the right to claim they have changed something that all-encompassing. More like her place in this second, in this city, in this… madness. Blair turned and sat next to her, half her body hanging off the bed. She wrapped an arm around Maka, half to comfort her, half to make sure she didn't fall off. Maka clutched her knees closer to her chest.

Blair sighed, "Well?" Maka didn't move, she was still thinking. Basketball isn't a purpose, but what good was she? She recalled the final fight with the kishin, which she barely managed to win. She remembered Soul lying crushed against the ground. She remembered her first few failed attempts at getting a hit in. Then there was that expanse of time that Soul filled her in on later. Had she really become a weapon? It was plausible considering her heritage, but it all just made her feel worse. If she had something like that inside of her, why hadn't it been revealed sooner? What part of her conscious mind held her back? Was it really fear? She was obviously stronger than she had known, though still not strong enough. She had to find that part and destroy it. A meister shouldn't hold back her weapon like that.

Blair was getting annoyed. She had really only come to ask Maka to make her some food, but this was taking too long. She jumped up from her spot next to Maka and was about to slip through the door when Maka stopped her. "Thanks… Blair." Blair looked back at the pathetic heap and shook her head but muttered "yeah," in response. The door closed tightly behind her and Maka was left once more in the semi-darkness with the moon's slanted beams streaming through her blinds.

Okay so I'm stopping it there because I don't want it to get too long… I know it's starting kind of slow, but it'll get livelier next chapter! Please review, leave a comment, favorite, whatever you like. I'm not sure how regular this will be cause school is starting back up soon, but I'll write faster the more you comment. =)


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm updating when I should be doing homework, but um… Yeah. Thanks to BeriForeverFan for reviewing and thanks to all the people following this story!**

Soul walked slowly and quietly through the hallway in their apartment, knowing it was late enough that even a bookworm like Maka would be asleep. Despite this knowledge, he bypassed his own bedroom door in favor of one further down the hall. He had heard Blair come home from work a few minutes ago and listened to the soft chirp of her voice through the wall separating Maka's and Soul's rooms. He tried to overhear what they were saying, but as soon as he pressed his ear to Maka's door, he realized that Blair's footsteps were coming towards him. He scampered into the kitchen just as Blair strutted out and morphed back into a cat. After pretending to search through the fridge for a few minutes while Blair curled up on the couch, Soul said goodnight to the drowsy kitten and crept in the direction of his room.

Just outside Maka's door, Soul hesitated, placing his ear against the cool, dark wood. A soft snore emanated from the other side. He gently twisted the knob, cringing as it squealed, and pushed the door open just wide enough for him to squeeze inside.

Maka lay curled up on her side with her arms wrapped around a pillow, her chest rising and falling steadily with only an occasional sigh. Soul moved to look at her sleeping expression, smiling at how child-like she seemed. The corners of his lips fell immediately. Maka's eyebrows were knitted together, her lips tight as if she were concerned. _Wonder why she's so worried…_ Soul thought, his hands moving of their own accord to sweep one of her pigtails out of her face. The meister hadn't changed into pajamas or taken her hair down before dozing off. As Soul turned to leave, having assessed that she was at least sleeping, something called his attention. A light streak had stained Maka's cheek pink, and noticed her pillow was blotted with tears. His frown deepened and his thoughts swirled in a flurry. As he slipped back through the door, careful not to let it close too loudly, he shook his head and smirked at his ingenious plan. He hadn't really had a purpose in mind for the bet until now, and he was glad he had waited. _Except watching girls sleep is so uncool_. He jumped back on his bed, having returned to his hovel of a room.

Maka shot into a sitting position as her alarm clock blared through the morning fog in her mind. Clutching her chest, she tried to steady her breathing while simultaneously smacking at the off button that eluded her fingers. Even after the sound stopped, a throbbing pain remained in her temples. She slid out of bed onto the soft carpet, rubbing her eyes clear. Gathering some fresh clothes from her closet, she headed towards the bathroom to shower, stopping to get a towel in the hall closet. _It's so quiet… Wait, what?_ She turned to Soul's room, only a few steps from her original destination, and listened intently. Nothing. No snoring, no stereo, just nothing. Normally she wouldn't wake him up for another half hour, but… Something squeezed inside her chest and she dragged her feet to his door, afraid of what she might find. _Is he hurt? In a coma? Dead?_ Never in their partnership had Soul been silent. _I should hear snoring right? _Her hand shook as she reached for the door handle. The slum opened up before her, the stench of dirty clothes and BO pouring out. Her eyes searched across the vast piles of jeans and t-shirts, past small hills of unopened school books and landed on his empty bed. _What?_ This was even more confusing. _Okay Maka, it's all good. He probably just went to watch TV on the couch and fell asleep out there. I'll just run out there now and I'll see hi-_

Maka turned and froze in her tracks at the sight of a white haired teen standing a few feet from her in the hall, his red eyes wide in surprise. She probably had the same expression. That probably would have been the end of it right there. He could have said that he had fallen asleep on the couch and was heading back to his room to change clothes, except he was fully dressed. That could have been believable as well, since people fall asleep in their clothes all the time, as Maka herself had last night. The problem was that: 1) he hadn't been wearing those clothes yesterday; 2) he was wearing his boots, which were covered in dew; and 3) he was trying to hide some papers behind his back with a very guilty grin on his face.

"He-hey!" He stammered, feeling like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Hi… what are you doing up so early?" Maka said calmly, leaning forward with her hands on her hips. She considered reprimanding him for something… maybe making her worry or going out without telling anyone. Instead she stared curiously at where his wrist disappeared behind his hip as he tried to conceal the papers.

"Just um, getting the paper." He cheered, excited to have found an alibi. Maka looked from his so-called newspaper to the bags under his eyes and knew she had no choice but to believe him. Soul obviously was hiding something important, or else he would have made a joke or called her tiny tits or something to that effect. So she would pretend to believe him, if only to watch him squirm as he came up with excuses.

Maka sighed and turned towards the bathroom to take her shower and Soul let out the breath he had been holding. _NOT cool!_ He thought as he wandered exhaustedly into his room and threw himself onto the mattress. _My watch says it's only…_ He glanced at his wrist and realized it was bare. _Sh- Oh…_ A piece of metal lying partially covered by his crumpled blankets caught his attention. He pulled out his watch with a frustrated sigh. He had forgotten it and forgotten he had forgotten it. _Whatever, at least I got everything figured out for tonight._ He turned onto his side and tried to sleep for the few minutes he had. The sound of Maka's shower reminded him of rain. So peaceful. He was glad that for once she had decided against singing. _Not that she's that bad, but… I'm just so… Sleepy annn…_

Maka roused him from his beauty rest a few moments later and the two head off to school on Soul's motorcycle. The air slapped them both awake as it brushed the dreams from their lashes. Perhaps Maka was right about just walking that day though, since Soul started snoring when they stopped at an intersection. The only reason she had agreed to the bike was that the town was still being rebuilt. Seeing so many collapsed building wasn't bad, but a few made a hole in her heart. That's where their favorite pizza place once stood and over there is where she used to shop with Tsubaki. Just little stuff, but it bothered some scab in her soul that hadn't yet healed._ We should have been faster. We could have stopped all this is we had just made it to the Kishin faster._

The classroom was little changed from yesterday, although with the party that night some of the girls seemed a bit perkier. A few more students were in, but the overall undertone of somberness still kept most conversations below a whisper. Soul fell asleep the moment he sat down, leaving Maka to practice her nervous habits without interruption. Ms. Marie came in just as the bell rang and sat down with a sigh behind the teacher's desk. She began to pull out her attendance roster, but with a quick glance around the room realized it was futile.

"All right, so today we will begin by reviewing the formation of kishin souls," she stood and began to scribble something on the chalkboard. "Can anyone remind the class why normal souls turn into kishins?" Soul stuttered awake at what he thought was Ms. Marie calling on him, but shifted onto his side and began snoring again when she didn't make eye contact. Ox raised his hand, but Ms. Marie waved him off. "Someone else… Patty!"

"Giraffes?" Liz smacked herself on the forehead in embarrassment. Kid stared in horror at Ms. Marie's diagram of a human soul and a kishin soul. So. Asymmetrical. The class was silent for once. Ms. Marie sighed again, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She just wanted to go home to Oceania, but _nooo_. These kids were nice and all, but she was going to be an old maid before she married if this kept on.

Maka had been raising her hand so long it went numb, so she switched to the other arm. When that arm got numb she flat out gave up. "It's because the soul has become evil and consumed human souls."

Ms. Marie smiled weakly at her. "And?" Maka stared back in confusion. Ms. Marie's smile dropped. "So they still don't like to teach that huh?" She walked back to the board and finished the diagram with an arrow between the two souls. A few students in the class, including Soul, had awoken and were leaning forward intently, waiting for Ms. Marie to finish. She drummed her fingers on her desk in thought, weighing what she was going to say. "There is another way for humans to turn into kishin… It's something they don't often teach because some students end up feeling, well, immoral afterwards. That is to say that if a human soul is under great stress, some depression or anger may set in. Then the person, if they are not helped, may acquire a form of madness that eats away at the soul. The person's soul will either be eaten up by the madness or, in an attempt to fill in the pieces, will turn into a kishin egg. They consume human souls like any other kishin, and they look like regular kishin, but they are, in essence, still partially human." Nobody breathed. Maka was shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself in horror. _I thought we settled this. I thought what we were doing was right. We weren't killing people, were we?_

Maka saw her own expression mirrored on Soul's face. Confusion, disbelief, maybe his face was even a bit paler. His hands were clenched into fists on top of the desk. Ox was the first to breathe again, his curiosity conquering his disgust. "Then surely there's a way to reverse it. They must track down the kishin like that and…" Ms. Marie was shaking her head.

"We haven't yet found a way to tell the difference between the two types, and we're far from finding a cure." _Why is she moving so much?_ Maka thought as her teacher seemed to float in circles. Maka finally rested her chin on her folded arms and the world stopped. She felt her eyelids flutter and the conversation grew slower. _It's like I'm drowning, but it's so calming._ "It may not even be possible to reverse it, and besides, the human part of them generally rots away within a week."

"And which part is that?" Everyone turned towards Maka, but she hadn't spoken. her tongue felt heavy as she tried to speak. _Oh yeah, Souls next to me._ She let her eyes close, not willing to fight off the draining chill as it spread through her limbs.

"Well," She heard faintly through the weight of impending darkness. "That would be the heart. It's the most resilient part of a person, although it's no match for a kishin so…" She was out. Maka felt herself floating for what seemed like moments before she heard her name. It was muted by the darkness, but it soon grew louder and clearer. She felt herself swimming to it, reaching for it. It seemed to be attached to this bright, white light in the distance. As the light grew, it swallowed her whole, engulfing her in warmth. The warmth returned to her body. Her eyes snapped open to the school infirmary, Soul staring at her with his face just inches away, highlighted by the bright fluorescent lights above.

"Ma- hey." He stopped saying her name and smirked before leaning back in a chair with his hands in his pockets. "Sleeping beauty woke up just in time to get ready for the party." Maka blushed and sat up with some effort.

"What… Is it really… what?" She peered around in search of her books and found them in a pile by Soul's foot.

"You passed out." He said almost jokingly, but there was an added note of softness now. "I was kidding about the time though. It's still only like 3:00." The smile returned, showing his shark-like teeth. "Got me out of class too!" Maka shoot her head in disbelief. It seemed like the world just didn't want her life to be normal again.

Maka slid off the cot, gathered her stuff, and dragged Soul out to the motorcycle by his ear. _I forgot about the party._ She thought, a smile playing at her lips. _Maybe that'll help._

**Yay! This was a surprisingly good week, so don't expect me to update this often. I'll try to do it every other weekend, but if I have time I'll update sooner. I tried to liven things up, but it'll get even better in the next chapter. Please review! I love feedback even if it's criticism.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to DCLWLOKPR44424 for reviewing! I love reviews guys. Of all kinds. This is my first time writing in third person (as far as for a whole story) so please tell me what you think. Heres something else to review.**

Soul leaned back against the wall of the outside of Blackstar and Tsubaki's apartment, kicking one of his heels against it with a slow beat. Maka, having been abducted by Tsubaki an hour ago, was inside getting ready for the party. Blackstar had gone for a jog, or that's what he said he was doing when he rushed out in his tuxedo. His exact words were: "Your God is going for a run and will surpass his subjects even further." Soul smirked. He knew the real reason, since he himself had recruited Blackstar for a special mission. Tsubaki's gasp came from inside the apartment and Soul turned in surprise. There was a silence that exasperated him to no end. _What?_ After a few more moments of silence he tore open the door, nearly ripping it off its hinges.

"What wro- oh…" He stared in amazement at the two girls. Tsubaki was dressed in sleek black silk that felt from a halter top to her knees, the color matching her hair, which was back in its usual ponytail. But if Tsubaki was beautiful then Maka was stunning. Her dress was red chiffon, with a petal skirt that ended just below the knee and spaghetti straps. Her hair was down, the blonde strands curled into loose ringlets. She blushed as Tsubaki and Soul stared at her in amazement. Soul noticed and turned away, embarrassed. _Not cool._ "Well finally… girls take so long to get ready," he mumbled. "We got to go or the thing's going to end before we get there."

The group was about to head out the door when Blackstar rushed in through the open door. He was panting slightly, but quickly closed the door with himself outside and burst through it once more with an element of grandeur. "A-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Behold! Your God has arrived so his subjects may bow down before his superiority!" Blackstar stood laughing for a few moments laughing in his disheveled tuxedo. Tsubaki shook her head and went to straighten his tie. _At least he's wearing a tux…_ Soul offered his arm to Maka with his usual smirk. She blushed a deeper shape of red and took it, before remembering the bet. She pouted at the ground.

Since it was the four of them, they walked the few blocks to the school. It's not like it was that far, but they still had to walk through some major reconstruction because of the proximity. Maka snuck a few glances out of curiosity. She hadn't really taken a good look at the destruction in a while. It was surprisingly well cleared considering it had only been a few weeks. Teams of large, sweaty men were hauling beams and bricks for the new buildings without a second thought as to why there were teenagers strolling through the site in formal wear. The men weren't quiet either, but chatting happily about their progress in between the slam of hammers. Maka felt her heart lighten, but in the next moment jump in fright. Something swung past her ear fast enough to make it ring. In the next second, the object was sliding in the dirt a few yards from them, creating a long, narrow tunnel. It was a steel beam, like the ones that it took four large men to carry. Except this one had just been flying through the air. Maka stared at it with wide eyes, her heart still racing. _That thing almost hit me!_ Soul had his back to the group and was gazing unimpressed in the direction from which the make-shift javelin had flown.

"Hey. Not cool Blair." The group followed his gaze up to the top of the steel framework of a building. There sat the delinquent cat, in her human form, wearing a construction hat, jeans, and a white t-shirt. She giggled and swung her feet back and forth jovially, like a small child sitting in a chair that was too high for them to touch the ground.

"Hi-ya Soul-_y_" She waved and only afterwards noticed Maka fuming behind him. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Watch where you throw things! That could have been really uncool…" Soul put a hand on Maka's shoulder as she shook with anger and a touch of fear. She sighed in resignation. She knew Blair probably wasn't trying to kill her, but that stupid cat should be more careful! _Honestly, she's older than us! She should know better! It's not like you can put a human being back together with magic. She'd actually have to live with that._ Maka turned on her heel and stomped off towards the school, the rest of the group following close behind. Suddenly she felt her steps slow until her feet were nearly dragging. She got this unsettling feeling that she shouldn't go to this party. Not with what she was going through. _Everyone else is going through the same stuff though. Some even have it worse._ Her stomach summersaulted. _Because of me. Because I can't put things back together. Because I was too weak to keep it from being torn apart._

Eventually the group made it to the gym, where the party had just begun to start. As the stepped inside, Soul felt his world close in with the throng of people around him. In reality, it was far fewer than he perceived, since some people were still too injured to attend. But every student that could walk was there, chatting merrily in the bright lights of the chandeliers. _Crowds are so uncool._ Maka felt Soul's arm stiffen in distress. He never had liked being in the midst of so many people, and was overwhelmed easily by crowds. They trudged forward, catching sight of Kid, Liz, and Patty on the other side of the room. They met halfway, just in time for Death to call for attention.

"Howdy students!" He cheered through the microphone. "So happy all of you could attend tonight's festivities!" He shrugged as he continued, his white-gloved hands reflecting the light. "Before we begin, let us be reminded why we are here tonight." Maka clutched Soul's hand, her head spinning. "Because Asura escaped from his holdings… we are missing some of our dear friends today." _It's my fault._ "But it's also important to acknowledge our successes!" _What?_ "Would Maka Albarn, Soul Eater, Blackstar, Tsubaki, Death the Kid, Liz, and Patty step forward?" Maka felt numb, but Soul must have still had a grip on her because they were hurriedly moving to the far end of the room, people parting so they could get through. Maka's heart sped up and her face flushed. They were nearly there when she felt something break. _I can't… it just._ Maka felt herself whip her arm away from Soul's grasp before running in the other direction. But no matter how fast she sprinted, the doors just grew farther away. The room stretched before her, the people closing in without actually moving and her escape fading into the distance.

_Where am I going?_ She tried to explain to herself why she didn't want to be there, but all she could think about was disappointment. It seemed to be everywhere. On every single face in the crowd, even after delirium contorted them. Her mother, too, was disappointed, her face appearing before Maka in an image so clear that it must be true. She wasn't there, but somewhere she was upset. Her father and Stein were mad at her. Stein was upset that he had worked so hard to train them and then to get them past Medusa only for them to fail. Spirit was mad because he thought she should have quit long before then. She shouldn't have ever become a meister or gone to DWMA because weak girls like her needed to stay home and be protected.

The worst was the last two. Death's expression was hidden by his mask, but disgust rolled off of him. How could he permit this weakling to study under him? Then there was Soul. His amber eyes burned into hers with something completely different. Regret. All those times he had protected her because she couldn't keep up. All those times she yelled at him. She couldn't think of a single time when he had asked for help. He had always known she was weak, but now he wished he hadn't put up with it. His lingered long after the others, remaining even after the cold darkness had sucked her in. He was burned into the back of her retinas and she even thought she could hear his voice. A muffled yelled from somewhere beyond the darkness. It sounded like her name, but it must have been a dream.

Soul was shaking his meister violently in an attempt to wake her, but nothing broke the dark, glossy haze that had brushed over her eyes. They were open, but unresponsive. A large hand came to rest on his shoulder, making him jump and nearly drop her lifeless form. Death was standing over him.

"Shaking her won't help any, I'm afraid."

"We have to do _something_!" Death shook his head slowly, as if speaking to a child.

"She's beyond help now. It's best we end this as quickly as possible, so we don't have a problem on our hands." He shrugged like a cartoon and waved as though to shoo him away. _What is he talking about?_ Soul stood his ground, but then she started shaking. It wasn't a fearful shaking, and in fact it didn't seem to be conscious. She was going into convulsions. _This is just like earlier right? She's just passed out from the excitement. There nothing wro-_

Dark threads suddenly burst from her chest in wild tendrils, interlacing and weaving in and out of one another before wrapping around her body. Soul could only hold her for a few more seconds before his hands and arms began to burn from the icy blanket that surrounded her. _Is that… her soul? _Yes, it certainly had an energy level like hers, but he had never seen a soul that color before, nor had he ever seen one do something like that. Before, the wisps were transparent, like black fire, but now they completely blotted out the person inside, the only hint of her existence being the form of a body. That lasted a moment. The cocoon exploded with a loud, screeching and inhuman sound. A grotesque being was at the center, the pieces of its soul zipping back into its chest. Once whole, they burned a dark red, like the embers of a dying flame. Something clicked in Soul's mind. He understood what his heart had prevented him from seeing a few minutes ago. _Maka's a kishin._

The other students had backed up against the walls. Soul could understand why. They had seen much uglier creatures out in the field, but none of those were their friends. Who they now had to watch die. What they were staring at didn't seem like it could possibly have been human. It had long, spindly fingers and scythes sticking out of its arms and shoulders. The head still held a human form, and even resembled Maka, but the skin was black and her hair had turned spiky and red. Black streamers of its soul wavelength were wrapped around its torso and thighs. Her eyes were pure red and had no pupils or white sclera. Soul shuddered.

Death and Soul were the only ones still standing their ground. Death reached for his weapon but realized a moment later that Spirit was not up for it. Death Scythe had thrown himself to the ground and was curled up the fetal position, crying. _At least he has a conscience. _Soul's stomach turned as he thought. _Killing your own daughter would be really uncool._ He tore his gaze away from the adult, who was hugging a Maka doll, and met Death's eyes. Or the eyes of his mask. The eye holes. Those. His arm stretched towards Soul's. This was all the scythe had ever wanted, right? But was losing Maka worth it? _She's not Maka anymore._ Soul felt his body melt away, Death's grip sending a surge of energy through him. It was exhilarating, and horrifying.

It was too much. He couldn't look at that thing and not be reminded of her. He felt his soul moving, reaching out for the companion it would never find. Soul pulled it back, concentrating on its throbbing instead of the battle. Death was more than capable of handling this. _Why do I feel so tired? It's like the world's spinning to fast. I wish it would all be still. I've got stuff to figure out._ He felt himself clash against metal and he tried not to think of what part of her he hit._ It's not even her. She's gone. She's… not coming back. I'll just go back to my music. There's no point in a weapon without its meister. _He thought of her song. The one he thought of whenever she was in trouble. She never got to hear it. That was the only cheerful song he had ever played. She was the only person he had ever cherished. How fitting. _I'm having a heart attack. That's why it feels like something's tearing into my chest._ His soul, stilled by his thoughts, suddenly began to vibrate in excitement. His heart lightened._ What?_

He felt something pull him in. There was a bright, red flame in the distance and he knew what it was. _Maka's soul._ It was calling for him. Their essences intertwined and sparked as they drew closer. Finally he was close enough to see a little blue flame in the center of the enormous roaring red one. His soul extended, driving through to the center. Soul was sucked into her heart.

**Yay! One more down. I feel like this is going to end up being short as far as the action goes but I may add a bit of fluff at the end to lengthen it. There will be a battle scene next chapter for those of you who need it. Peace, love, drugs of the quality kind.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry, there's a really good excuse for why I'm a week late in updating. I had volunteering the past two weekends and too much homework and projects during the week. But anyway, thanks to Card fighter by heart for reviewing! Please, if you have questions or suggestions post them for me. This will not be the last chapter!**

Death clutched the scythe in his giant hands and glared at the monster. He didn't make a habit of fighting with weapons that had not made it to death scythe status, but Soul was similar enough to his current weapon that it wasn't really an issue. Being a god helped too, of course. He took a swipe at the kishin's head, only to be blocked by a knife that suddenly burst from its collarbone. He backed up, stunned. Was this one stronger than normal? No, it hadn't consumed a single soul. He stared down at the blade in frustration. He couldn't hear anything. Was it the disconnect between them then? Most likely that was the case. He had known that he wouldn't be able to resonate with the young weapon, since Soul's frequency was so much slower than his own. The resonance wouldn't work with such a difference in power. He had hoped that the weapon would at least communicate with him, but this must have been too much for him. Death swung at his former student once more, but to no avail. It dodged and came around to the side of him, swiping at him with its daggered arms. It kept on like that for some time, while the other students merely stared in horror. Death locked his scythe up against the beast's arm blades, trying to push it outside and away from the students, but they were deadlocked.

Death jumped as something inside the weapon pulsed, then again and again, until a steady tempo picked up. The kishin, unhampered now with the shinigami distracted, dove forward intending to drive its knives into the front of his mask, but stopped an inch away. It was frozen in that position, so close that Death could hear it pant from exertion, its chest moving steadily. It was waiting… or listening. From this distance it was easy to see that this had been a human. In fact, the blades protruding from its skin were akin to those of her father in his half human form. The hair, if it weren't spiky and red, would surely be the same. _I bet her skin is still soft…_ Death jumped, startled out of his thoughts by someone else's voice. He tried to bring himself back to the present. Soul's heart had suddenly become audible, Maka… the monster was right in front of him, and the monster had to be killed. The monster was right in front of him, and the monster was panting. Soul's heartbeat was louder. He realized the connection between the heartbeat and the thought too late. He stepped back, only to have the kishin reach out and grasp the scythe. _Soul's thoughts… soul resonance. With the kishin. With Maka._

Maka spun her weapon as she always did before clutching it in both fists, ready for battle. She then promptly collapsed to the floor, still her monstrous state. No one moved for a moment. A swarm of students them encircled the scene, held back only by the shouts of the teachers. Maka had stopped breathing. It must be that once you're dead everyone forgets your sins and pains and imperfections and calls you by your name. You would never call a dead person a demon. No matter how evil they looked at their funeral. Death stood over her, knowing it wasn't over. Relationships like that don't die, no matter how many knives.

Soul squeezed his eyes shut again as a bright white light burned into his retinas. _When did the sun become my roommate?_ He gave up; turning his head to the side he wouldn't be blinded. _What's with the sand? Did I fall asleep on the beach again? God, I feel like I'm being cooked in a frying pan…_ He sat up, surprised that his skin wasn't screaming in pain from a sunburn. He looked himself over, then did a double take. He wasn't in a bathing suit, and his body had shrunk to the size of a child's. He grabbed at his chest, trying to slow his pounding heart, only to make it worse. His scar was gone, leaving nothing but smooth skin. He jumped to his feet, noting how much shorter he was before glancing around at his surroundings for the first time. He was on a beach alright; there was even water a few yards away. But there was nothing else. Just miles of sand in either direction, with the ocean in front of him stretching on forever.

His eyes snapped shut. _Okay. Focus. I was at the party. Maka passed out. Then she…_ He shuddered at the image of Maka as a kishin, her soul the color of burning charcoal. Now he was… yes he had been fighting alongside Death. Then he ended up here. This was her heart.

Soul dragged himself over to the vast ocean, the waves so still that it was more like a piece of glass. What had been clear blue from afar was oblique and black this close. His reflection stared up at him, shock twisted across his expression. It was him, but not the right him. A mirror of childhood self stood where a much older one should have. His lanky, six-year-old body was as pale as the sand, making his ruby eyes stand out. His hair was shorter, brushed down and lacking his headband. He stumbled away, turning instead towards the endless beach in the opposite direction. Walking quickly, he began to wonder: If this was Maka's heart, where was she? Or maybe this entire place is just her. Her essence… but why? He tripped over an untied shoelace, falling face first into the hot sand. _Gahhh! I hate these clothes!_ He kicked off the dress shoes and rolled up the sleeves of the white button-down shirt. He'd rather let the sand burn to the bottom of his feet than wear this stuff. Sweeping his arms clean, he stood and continued on, too busy thinking to see the pieces of glass until he nearly put one through his foot.

"OW!" He yelled a few profanities, cursing drunkards who left their beer bottles on the beach. But as he reached down to inspect his toes he realized the glass was straight, not curved. After some digging, he found a picture frame, the glass shattered and the picture faded from the sun. It was Maka, only a year or so old, being held by her old man. His face was ecstatic and hers filled with laughter. Soul smiled, despite her anger at her father, Maka cared for and worried about him in her own way. He carried it with him, now attentively scanning the sand. A few steps away there was a picture of when they first met, although he had no recollection of their being any photo of the event. He was shaking her hand, sitting at a piano with his sharp grin in place. The next one wasn't familiar, but then again he was asleep during it. Maka sat upright on their couch, staring down at a snoring Soul, his head in her lap.

Soul straightened and looked up from his excavation, something catching his eye up ahead. It wasn't glass this time, but what seemed to be some fabric. Red and shiny, like silk or satin. He jogged up, his feet burned to the point that he couldn't feel the sand under them. He tugged the material, but instead of pulling free it stopped, something weighing it down. Soul swept about a foot of sand off before he realized what it was, and then he began franticly digging. Smooth, pale legs with the red wrapped around them as a petal skirt. He uncovered the body, carefully pushing sand out and away from her eyes and nose. It was a miniature Maka, motionless and perfect like a three- foot doll. Her dress from the dance had shrunk to fit her, her curled hair falling around her face in a halo. He lifted her up out of the grave and laid her across his lap, jostling her shoulder. "Maka… MAKA WAKE UP!" She didn't move.

Soul felt a stinging in his eyes and something squeezed his throat shut. _No… Not cool. You can't die Maka._ "HEY! Who's going to make me a Death scythe then, huh?" He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "What am I going to do all alone by myself? What good is a weapon without a meister?" His yells broke the peaceful silence, echoing off of it. Something wet dripped from his eyelids and fell on her stomach. He turned his head, but couldn't help staring at her. He rested his head just below her neck, letting his tears was away more sand. "Is that it then?" He whispered to her collarbone, "You still owe me… You lost the bet… so you can't go. That's what your punishment is! That you can't die!" Her body was cold and limp with death. _Because I love you… that's why you can't die._ He moved to kiss her forehead but jumped. Two big, green eyes stared at him, dazed and tired. "Maka?"

"Soul…" She slurred, and then sat up suddenly, making their heads smack together. She rubbed the sore spot. "Sorry… What's going on? Where are we?" Soul stared at her in amazement before crushing her with a hug. _I never want to go through that again._ "What did you say?" Maka froze, realizing Soul's lips hadn't moved.

"I didn't…" Soul stopped, realizing what had happened. They had soul resonated. _Was that why she woke up? Wait, she didn't hear me say THAT did she?_ Maka fought off a smile only to burst into laughter a moment later. Soul blushed at the sound, his tears forgotten. She had an adorable laugh. "Maka… what happened? Why did you… um, change?" Soul blushed even deeper, flustered at the sound of his own high-pitched, childish voice. Maka's laugh cut off and she stared down at her tiny hands.

"Hey Soul, did you know that if you raise your hands up to the sky and focus behind them that your hands look like baby hands?" Soul watched as tears fell from Maka's eyes into her open hands. She struggled to speak. "It's kind of like… like we don't really matter right? But then stuff like this happens… and you realize that your screw up hurt everyone around you, and your helpless to do anything to fix it. It's like our mistakes are really big… and we're too small and weak to do any-"Soul wrapped his arms around her, muffling her voice with his chest. Slowly, she brought her arms around him as well, sobbing and shaking in his grasp like the small child she was.

"You're the strongest person I know, Maka." He took a breath and his voice came out almost as deep as usual. "You saved so many people, and not just by defeating the kishin." He pulled back and cupped her chin in his hand. "Do you think Stein would have come to teach here if we hadn't shown him we were good enough? Do you think Marie and Crona could have defeated Medusa if you hadn't shown up? Who would have brought Crona to our side in the first place and saved him from Medusa?" Maka's sobs subsided. "Maka… Who would have brought me to DWMA? I wouldn't be a weapon if not for you. None of that would have worked out if not for you." Maka was staring, transfixed by his words. Or so he thought.

"Soul, you're normal size again!" Soul looked down at his body, now its normal age. He put a hand on his chest. Yes, there it was, the scar. "And me too!" Soul gazed up and down her body, struck by her beauty again. "Soul…" His eyes locked onto hers, in surprise. He felt like he hadn't heard her voice in years. "Thank you." She stood on her tiptoes, stretched her arms around his neck, and whispered, "And I did hear _that_ thought. That's why I came back." Soul's face was the color of an apple by now. With the heat of the noonday sun, which never seemed to set in Maka's heart, beating down on the back of his neck, Soul pulled Maka in and kissed her gently on the lips, lingering there for a minute in that sweet soft moment.

**Okay, so good? Bad? Review to let me know. This will not be the last chapter! I hope to update in the next two weeks. Love reviews, love readers more.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again BeriForeverFan for the review! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope it clears things up!**

Soul felt his arms wrap tighter around her, deepening the kiss and breathing in her sweet breath. He felt their souls intertwining, closer than ever before, and the peace between them that had been absent since the fall of Asura. Maka was whole again, and he would make sure she stayed that way. After a few moments however, the dream faded into light as the sun consumed the meister and weapon, pressing against their eyelids. A second later the light had dimmed, and his arms were empty again. _Weird dream. Why is my bed so stiff?_ He heard a pained groan from somewhere near him, but he was too tired to care. _Maka probably tripped over Blair again._ Soul felt his chin pressing against something cold and hard, the rest of his body strewn over something lumpy. _Okay, see if I can guess. I'm sleeping on the floor, on top of a pile of really stiff clothes._

"Get. Up. Now." _And there's Maka yelling at me because I'm going to make her late._ His clothes elbowed him in the gut, and his eyes flew wide open. Beneath him was his puny partner, her head turned up at him so she could glare straight into his eyes. He was probably crushing her a bit. He wasn't sure he cared. It was her fault for being in his room right? Wait… what was all that muttering? The fog lifted from his mind and pieces of information strung together in his mind. He rolled off of the fuming meister and stared around the room in amazement. An eerie silence rang through the gym, as the other students had vanished and the teachers that remained talked in muted voices that matched the tone of the breeze coming in from outside. Maka sighed in relief before grumbling at him in annoyance.

"Soul! Could you be any more inconsiderate? How do you not notice that your – " Soul pounced on her, squeezing her so hard she couldn't breathe. "Crushing me…" Soul pulled back and Maka gasped for air, giving up the lecture at the sight of his wide, spiky grin.

"Well! It's nice to see that you two are still so lively after that ordeal!" Death said, placing his hand on Soul's shoulder. Soul's hands snapped from the sides of Maka's arms to his own sides at the sudden appearance of Stein, Death, and Spirit. "We are quite happy about your recovery Miss Albarn, and of course you did very well performing as my weapon Mr. Evans." Maka smiled at the headmaster, still unsure of what had happened after her… transformation.

"MAKA! SOUL! MY SUBJECTS HAVE SURVIVED ANOTHER DISASTER IN THEIR DESPERATION TO SEE ME BECOME GOD!" Blackstar and Tsubaki burst through the doors followed by an angry Ms. Marie. Tsubaki immediately trapped Maka in a bear hug, speaking in a worried, quick voice.

"I'm so glad you're both okay! You are both okay, right? Soul didn't cut you up did he? I'm sure he didn't mean to, but it was for your own-"

"I'm fine, Tsubaki! Barely a scratch!" She said unconvincingly, since her dress now looked like a big red cat toy. She wasn't bleeding, but she had a few bruises from where Soul had hit her. It seemed as though her alien form had protected her for the most part.

"I'm fine too, you know!" Soul muttered, irritated by the lack of concern for him. He sighed, and pulled off the jacket of his tuxedo, satisfied with the fact that it only had one gaping slash down an arm. He wasn't bleeding either, probably because of the synchronizing of their souls. "Tsubaki, would'ya move?" Tsubaki, stood, tears of relief threatening at the corners of her eyes. Soul placed his jacket across Maka's shoulders, their eyes locking in understanding.

"I'm so sorry Death!" Ms. Marie began to explain, whining a bit. "I told them we had to evacuate everyone and that they couldn't come back, but they wouldn't listen!"

"NOBODY TELLS BLACKSTAR WHEN TO SEE HIS SUBJECTS!" Blackstar stood by Tsubaki, a wide grin on his face.

"Well now that you see that they're alright, you two need to go home." Ms. Marie said with authority. "I told you that the headmaster would fix things!" _Yeah_, Soul thought,_ by killing her._ Tsubaki and Blackstar lets themselves be led out by their now satisfied teacher, Blackstar's arm wrapping around Tsubaki's waist as she cried.

"Poor Ms. Marie." Death cooed, "I'm sure she was just as concerned." Death stared off into space for a moment. "What am I… Oh yes!" He looked at his colleagues once more. "We should be going now, as I understand Mr. Evans and Miss Albarn must have business to attend to!" All but one of them turned and marched out the same doors the others had just disappeared through. Spirit looked at his daughter with puppy-dog eyes, pouncing on her a moment later and bursting into tears.

"M-M-M- Maka!" He sobbed, "Daddy was so worried about you! Daddy wishes he could have saved you before all this!" Maka pushed him off roughly and he curled up on his side in dejection. _Too many hugs._ Maka sighed, exhausted by the entire ordeal and annoyed by her lack of information.

"Papa, go home! You're completely useless!" Spirit slumped off, somehow making it outside with his tears blinding him. Soul waited for the click of the door before jumping up and dusting himself off.

"Come on," Soul offered his hand to his partner and pulled her to her wobbly feet. "I have something to show you." His voice was soft, but insistent, his blood red eyes shining in the bright light of the gymnasium. Maka reluctantly let him pull her along, clutching his jacket shut. They stopped in front of the equipment room door, and Soul patted his pants pockets in thought. "Oh! The inside pocket of the jacket." Maka dug in the silk pocket before pulling out a small silver key. Soul held out his hand, but she bypassed him and unlocked it herself. She hesitated with her hand on the door.

"Soul… what are the plans that Death was talking about?"

"You'll see in a minute. Blackstar and I worked really hard setting all this up, and you already almost ruined it." He chuckled a bit. Maka stared down at her hand, still contemplating everything. "Maka?"

"What happened to me Soul? I didn't hurt anyone did I?" She turned suddenly, searching his eyes. "I remember… I woke up in the desert… but before that… everything was dark." Tears slipped down her cheeks in frustration. Soul put his arms around her, letting her head rest against his chest.

"Don't worry about all that right now. I'm sorry I brought it up. You didn't hurt anyone at all…" He tilted her head up and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I promise I'll explain later, but for now you owe me something." She blinked in confusion, then her eyes widened in horror.

"Can't you just drop the stupid bet?!" She said in irritation, her face turning bright red and the other questions forgotten. Soul smirked at his success, whipping her around to face the door again.

"No can do! You made a bet, after all." He pushed her towards the door, pulling it open with ease and ushering her into a dimly lit room. In the half-light filtering through the open door Soul reached around the meister from behind, searching for something in the front pocket of his jacket. Maka froze until he pulled out a lighter. Within a few seconds he had lit five candles resting atop what appeared to be smooth black ice. As the candles' flames grew brighter, they illuminated the room around them. Sports equipment had been pressed against the walls to make room for a black Baby Grand piano with its top down so that the candles had front row seats. A soft click resonated in the silence. _The door…_ Maka tried to feel concern. They were in a dark room with candles and nowhere for the smoke to go. Soul was cashing in on the bet. There were so many things she should be worrying about, but instead she felt the tears dry on her cheeks as she gazed at the light of the candles dancing across the sheen of the black stain. Soul sat at the bench and lifted the cover to reveal ivory keys, before he patted the space next to him in expectation. Maka peeled her eyes away from the soothing sway of the fire and sat beside him, taking off the jacket in the stuffy room.

Soul started to say something, but nothing escaped his lips. He instead put his fingers down and played, singing:

"When I see your smile  
Tears roll down my face I can't replace  
And now that I'm strong I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one  
I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven  
It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.  
Seasons are changing  
And waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter  
I can show you I'll be the one  
I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven  
Cuz you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart  
Please don't throw that away  
Cuz I'm here for you  
Please don't walk away and  
Please tell me you'll stay woah, stay woah  
Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know I'll be okay  
Though my skies are turning gray  
I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven"

Soul pressed the last few notes, letting them ring through the room before his hands slipped to rest on his knees. Maka didn't move, her eyes wide and her mouth open in awe. _I've never heard him play anything that… gentle._ Soul's breathing slowed and he cautiously shifted so he was facing her. He waited. And waited. Nothing. He placed a hand on the other side of her face, cupping her soft cheek and gently moving her to face him. She stared up at him, unsure of what to say.

"I thought I was the one that lost the bet." She whispered almost inaudibly. Soul swallowed, putting his forehead against hers so that all he could see were her confused, green eyes. He could smell her sweet breath as she exhaled.

"Yeah… but I'm done playing games." Her eyes widened, but snapped shut a moment later. One arm was on her lower back, and the opposite thumb rubbed the space between her shoulder blades. Hips lips were firm and smooth against hers. The kiss was deep and long, the two only breaking away to breathe. Maka could hear her heart pounding against her rib cage, and for once she was completely sure about something. She was in love with her weapon, he was in love with her, and together they were strong enough to figure everything else out. Maybe that's three things, but that's even better. She also realized she didn't care about something she had been obsessing over. Time. They could stay there all night, holding one another and kissing and laughing and crying… and then the rest they could put off until tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next day. Maka curled up against Soul's chest, comforted by the beat of his heart and tracing the scar from the outside of his shirt as she sat on his lap.

"Soul?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from the top of her head, dizzy from the scent of her perfume.

"I love you." Soul felt his face redden and his arms tightened around her tiny body. _How do I compete with that?_

"I love you too… more than you know."

"I'm so glad… that I lost that bet." She stopped and thought for a second on what she had just said. "But you were going to do this anyway, weren't you?"

"Yeah." She smiled against his chest in contentment.

**This is how much I love you guys. I finished the chapter early. I think I'll do an epilogue, just a short one. Thank you all so much for reading this far. Should I do a sequel? The song is Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.**


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